Printing-press



6 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. L. FIRM.

f PRINTING PRESS' (No Model.)

Patented Mar. 17,

El I

(No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet-Z. J. L. FIRM.

PRINTING PRESS.

Y No. 556,409. Patented Mar. 17, 1896.

(No Modl.) s sheets-...Queen s.

r J. L. FIRM.

y PRINTING PRESS.

- No. 556,409.I PatenteduMaL 17, 1896.

'fwssesg AN DREW s GRAHAM. PHcTo-LrmovwAsH INGTONJ) 2v (No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 4.

K Jl Ln PRINTING PRESS.

No. 556,409. Patented Mar'fl', 1896.

Wsses y P 6 Sheets-Sheet 5.

(No Model.)

J. L. PIRII.

PRINTING PRRss; l No. 556,409. Patented Ivm. I7, 1896.

'f df IIIIRIII I I f .a4/v ml Ieallmlinmm-u-mgllmmL-mlum-umlHumm 'd 'I "IRRIIIIIIIIIIIRRIIIIRIIII d* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPII L. FIRM, OF JERSEY CITY, NEIV JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO TI-IE GOSS PRINTING PRESS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PRINTING-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,409, dated March 17, 1896.

Application filed August 17, 1894. Serial No. 520,552. (No model.) v

To all whom, it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. FIRM, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Jersey City, in the cou nty of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Printing-Presses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of printing-presses known as rotary web-perfecting, where a plurality of webs are brought together at a given point and carried in a direct line, assembled together, to the longitudinal folding mechanism.

This class of machines to be successful must run at a very high rate of speed, which has a tendency to cause the webs of paper to buckle, stretch or wrinkle, due largely to the unequal tension required to pass the webs between guide-rollers, and the almost impossibility of getting the surface travel of the webs alike to form a correct product. By reducing the distance that each web has to travel from the time its printing is complete until it is associated with the other webs I reduce this tendency to a minimum and the first part of my invention consists in solving the problem of how to accomplish this result in a printing machine of the class referred to adapted for printing three webs by the arrangement of the cylinders of the three printing mechanisms.

Other parts of my invention embodied in the machine which I am about to describe will be apparent from my description thereof.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings is a diagram showing in cross-section the arrangement which I prefer for the cylinders and inking mechanisms of the three sets of printing mechanism. Fig. 2 represents the folding mechanism and a side view of the mailing-wrapper attachment. Fig. 3 is an end view of the folding and delivering mechanism. Figs. 4 and 5 are two modifications of the folding mechanism. Fig. G is a detail of the deliverymechanism. Fig. is a plan view of the same. Figs. S, 9, l0 and 1l show the product with the mailing-wrapper in various stages of folding. and l5 are details.

In Fig. l I have shown the different webs A B C partly unrolled. The web A passes Figs. 3, 12, 13, 14:

over rollers 1 and `2 to impression-cylinderD and is printed by form-cylinder E. It then passes over impression-cylinder F and is printed by form-cylinder G on its opposite side. It then passes over the roller 3.

The web B passes over the roller 4. to impression-cylinder H and is printed by formcylinder I. It then passes over the rollers 5 and 6 to impression-cylinderJ and is printed by form-cylinder K on its opposite side. It then passes between the webs A and C between the rollersZS and ll, or it may pass first over the intermediate roller 7, as shown in dotted line. i

The web C passes over the roller S to impression-cylinder L and is printed by formcylinder M. It then passes over the rollers 9 and 10 to impressioncylinder N and is printed on its opposite side by form-cylinder O. It then passes over the roller ll, meeting the webs A and B which are passing between the rollers 3 and ll. Thus all the webs form an associated product between rollers 3 and ll. It will be seen by this manner of placing the diiferent form and impression cylinders the web A is brought between the rollers 3 and l1 by the cylinders D E F G, all of one row. The web B is brought between rollers 3 and 1l by using the forni and impression cylinders II I of one row and J K of another row, the web C being brought in the equal tension required to pass the webs together between guide-rollers, it being almost impossible to get the surface travel of these webs alike for long distances to form a correct product.

The product of the webs A B C having passed between the rollers 3 and ll now passes in a straight line to the formers or guidingframes shown in Figs. 2, et seq.

Various means may be employed for driving IOO the cylinders; but I prefer to gear the top row of cylinders together, and the cylinders c, K and J together, and the cylinders N, O and (Z together, and the cylinders II, I and c together, and the cylinders f, M and L together. Thus the gears a and a2 connect the cylinder a with the cylinder c, the gears ZJ and b2 connect the cylinder b with the cylinder d, the gears e and ev2 connect the cylinder K with the cylinder e, and the gears f f2 connect the cylinder O with the cylinder f.

One particular point to which I desire to call attention in the arrangement of cylinders above described is that all of them are arranged in three parallel rows, by which the size of the machine is kept small and the parts are readily accessible. I have shown these rows as in a horizontal position, but I do not wish to be limited to that position. One of the outside rows, which in the illustration happens to be the top row, contains the last cylinder of one printing mechanism, (which is in this case the impression-cylinder F,) while the intermediate row contains adjacent to each other the last cylinder of each of the other printing mechanisms, which in the example shown are both impressioncylinders, (A and N,) though I do not wish to be limited to their being impression-cylinders in contradistinction to form-cylinders.

The last cylinders of all the printing mechanisms are thus brought in close proximity, and by having the assembling-rollers 3 and 11 in the intermediate position shown the distance that the webs pass through between the three printing mechanisms and the assembling-point is reduced to the minimum consistent with the other necessities of the machine. This arrangement likewise enables the inking-cylinders a, D, c, d, e, and f to be disposed at outside points, where they are least objectionable.

The plurality of impression-eylinders D, F, J, and N are located at the corners of a polygon, enabling any number to be used as the iinal cylinders of a plurality of printing mechanisms and enabling the printing of all the webs to be finished at points closely surrounding the guides by which they are assembled, the other rolls of the printing mechanisms being situated at outlying points. In the construction shown there are only three printing mechanisms, and the rolls D and F are shown as two im pression-rolls of one mechanism; but I do not li mit myself to that.

It will also be observed that the guiding mechanism-Viz., the rolls 3 11 or the rolls 7 3 ll-in associating the webs are shown in the drawings a-s conducting all of said webs through the said polygon; but I do not wish to be limited to conducting all of them through said polygon, since it is only essential, where three web-printin g mechanisms are employed, that one should be conducted through the polygon in order to be associated with the othertwo; or, in otherwords, that one of the webs Ashould pass from its last impression-cylinder between the last iinpiession-cylinders of two other webs in order to be associated with two other webs.

The webs A B C, having been printed and assembled by the rollers 3 1l, pass between rollers 51 52 53 54E, are split, and pass down the formers 55 and 155. One hall:l is folded longitudinally by passing between the rollers 5G 57, past the tension-roller 58 and between the rollers 59 60. The other half is folded longitudinally by passing between the rollers 15G 157, past the tension-roller 158 and between the rollers 159 160. The rst half thence proceeds down the former (ll, between the rollers 12 13, making the second longitudinal fold while the web is not yet severed. The web then passes between tapes 14 and l5, which pass around rollers 16 13 and 17 18 to the rotary carrier I). Then it may receive its transverse fold by passing between the female cutting-cylinder Q and the roller 2l. The carrier P is provided with pins p, which impale the forward edge of the web and support it until the line of fold is in the proper position, when a folding-blade 1) mounted on the carrier P will force it between the cylinder Q and roll 21 to the grippers on the band 24. The carrier I has serrated knives p2, which act against the cylinder Q to sever the web as it passes between the female cutting-cylinder G and roller 21. The cuts from the web pass between the guides 22 23 to the gripper-bands 2-1, and the grippers 25 25 251 2511 receive them, thus insuring a positive delivery, and no chance of choking the machine.

Referring to Figs'. 12, 13, 14, and 15, the folding-blades@ and p' are shown as mounted in bearings on the carrier P. 193191 are shafts which have cross-heads 195296 provided at their ends with pins p7 p8 p1 p10, which pins are guided by fixed cams or templets 72111912, connected with the fixed frame p1, Fig. 15. These cams or templets are so located and formed that the pins on the cross-heads arc guided by them. The groove or space between them is lettered p11. Now, as either of the eross-heads is passing around the cam or templet p11, it will be held in the position of the cross-head p6, Fig. 13, and the foldingblade p1 connected with it will be inactive. Vhen, however, either of the eross-heads reaches the cam or templet p12, one of its pins will follow the outside surface, as is shown at p10, Fig. 13, and the other pin will pass through the groove p11, as shown at p11, and one of the folding-blades p1 will be thrown into action. By turning the templets p11 1912 so that the point of the templet p12 is directed between the rollers Q and 21 the paper will be folded between those rollers; but by moving the templets so that the point of the tem'- plet p12 is directed between the rollers u a the folding will be done between those rollers. The templets may be adjusted in either of these positions by means of the pin p15 by turning the templets so that the pin is inserted either in the hole p16 or the hole p17.

IIO

The boXes containing the knives in thel i rollers a and Q are of ordinary construction,

which can be removed when not in action to allow the knives p2 to pass without cutting the paper.

The bands 24 have the four grippers 25 25 25b 25C andare properly timed by the sprocketwheels 26 and 27 to receive every succeeding folded paper and deliver it to the rollers 28 29 30 3l 32 33, which receive their motion through the pins shown on their surfaces from the chain 34, which travels over sprocketrollers 35 and 36, intermittently actuated by the roller 37 and constantly actuated by the pawl 48. e

The sprocket roller or drum 35 is driven as follows: A shaft 43 drives by a worm-gear a counter-shaft 40, which is geared to a disk 47, fixed on the shaft 46 and carrying a spring-. pawl 48, which engages with a ratchet-wheel 49 fast on the sleeve 46u. The sprocket roller or drum 35 is also fast on the sleeve 46a, and is therefore driven forward by the mechanism just described. On the other end of the shaft 46 are iiXed the gears 70 7172 of different diameters, either of which may be placed in gear with the spur wheel 73 fixed on the counter-shaft 74. This enables the attendant to control the distribution ofthe papers on the rollers 28, &c., for convenience of lifting them therefrom.

37 is a disk fixed on the counter-shaft 74, which carries a piece of leather 38. Since the disk 37 moves with greater surface speed than the drum 35, every time the leather 38 comes around it will shove the drum 35 ahead of the normal speed received from pawl 48 and thus separate the papers being delivered. The object of this separation is to deliver the papers in one, two, three or four, dto., quires, as maybe desired. The rollers 28 to 33 supersede tape belts or aprons with advantage.

The chain 34 besides driving the rollers intersects the path of the sheet as it is carried downward by the band 24 and stops the downward travel of the sheet, so as to direct it on top of the rollers 28 29, dac., instead of permitting it to fall downward in frontof roller 28.

When the mailing part of the press is required the female cutting-cylinder R, Fig. 2, will be thrown in gear, giving the required speed to this part of the press. The'roll S represents the wrapping mail-paper, which passes between the rollers 8O and 81 to the male cutting-cylinder T, and is cut by the knife t in the groove t of female cylinder R, and is held on cylinder R in the usual manner by pins t2 back of the knife-groove. s is the pastingdevice which pastes the under side of the mail-web on its outside marginal line. (Shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8.) The mailing device is timed to run at the same surface speed as the carrier P, the female cylinder R making two revolutions to the carriers one.

It is understood that when the mailing-web is introduced the folding-blades p' p' only work at the top of the carrier R and fold the webs through the rollers a u', having been cut by the serrated knives p2 in the female cutting-cylinder Q. The rollers u u have tapes 82, 83 and 97. The tape 82 passes over the roller u to male folder U, around it and back over the roller u. The tape 83 on roller u' passes over roller 84 and under 85 and around roller 86, back over roller u. The tape 97 passes around R and u. It will thus be observed that the front end of the wrapper from the roll S is laid onto the web a short distance back from its front end, as shown in Fig. 8, while the web is still upon the carrier P and before it has been cut transversely. Therefore, the wrapper and the sheet which it is to wrap are brought into contact with each other at or near their forward ends while each still constitutes an unsevered portion of its web, enabling them to be run onto each other with great-speed without danger of disarrangement or loss of timing, which might result if either or both were cut from its web before being brought into contact. Moreover, after the front ends are brought into contact the transverse cutting is accomplished by the separate knives tand p2 before the rear end of the sheet from the wrapper is brought in contact with the web. This enables the wrapper and the web to be cut, so that when brought together the rear end of the wrapper-sheet will overhang the rear end of the web-sheet, as shown in Fig. 8. The newspaper now receives its first fold transversely by passing betweenk the rollers u' u and tapes 82 83 and is received on carrier or mail-folder U by the gripper 87 and folded by the folding-blade 89, between the rollers 84 and 85. The carrier U has two folding-blades 89 and 90, which work alternately. As each wrapper web receives its second transverse fold from this carrier, its end being held to the carrier by the grippers 87 or 88, which are of the usual construction, the folding-blade 89 or 90 folds it between the rollers 84 and 85 and the tapes 83 and 91. The tape 91 passes over the roller 86, around the third carrier 92, under the roller 94, back and around the roller 85.

The carrier 92 has only one folding-blade 95 and one gripper 96 and makes the last fold between the rollers 86 and 93. vIt is understood that the same delivery can be used as already described and shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

In Fig. 3 l have shown in detail the two parts of the slit web passing over the formers 55 and 155 to the rollers 56 57 and 156 157, where they meet the tension; rollers 58 and 158. The tension is regulated by a swinging bracket 161, which is fulcrumed at 162 to another bracket 163, fulcrumed at 164, the positions of which brackets are controlled by the Vrods 165 and 166. The webs then pass between the rollers 59 60 and 159 160 to the formers 61 and 167, which are shown at right angles and opposite to each other.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 3, with the IOO IIO

two longitudinal folders in succession, is very important for more than one reason. It leaves space for a person to get at the under part of these longitudinal folders by going between them. The manner of folding the webs by two longitudinal folds before making a transverse fold makes the transverse folder about one-half the size which it would otherwise be, thereby saving the cost in manufacturing and saving space and facilitating the working of these rapid machines.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I show modifications where only three longitudinal folders are required for the two halves of the split webs. The split Webs receive one longitudinal fold by the formers 55 155. Then they pass together to the second longitudinal folding mechanism'lGS, after which they are folded transversely, cut and delivered, as before described.

I claim- 1. In combination,three web-printin g mechanisms consisting of form and impression cylinders arranged in three parallel rows, one of the outside rows containing thelast cylinder of one printing mechanism and the intermediate row containing adjacent to each other the last cylinder of each of theiother printing mechanisms, substantially as described.

2. In a rotary press containing a plurality of web-printing mechanisms, in combination, the final impression-cylinders as F, J and N arranged at the corners of a polygon whereby the points at which the webs leave their respective printing mechanisms are brought close together, and the co-operating form-cylinders of said mechanisms located outside of said polygon, substantially as described.

3. In a rotary press containing more lthan two web-printin g m echanisms,iu combination four impression-cylinders as D, F, .I and N arranged with their axes at the four corners of a quadrilateral, the form-cylinders located outside of said quadrilateral and guiding mechanism which conducts one or more of said webs through said quadrilateral in associating the same with the others, substantially as described.

4E. In a rotary press containing a plurality of web-printing mechanisms, in combination, two printing mechanisms arranged in two rows having their first cylinders, as II, L, at opposite ends of one row and their iinal cylinders, as J, N, next to each other in another row, and another printing mechanism having its final cylinder, as F, adjacent to said iirstmentioned iinal cylinders, substantially as described.

5. In combination,three web-printing mechanisms consisting of form and impression cylinders arranged in three parallel rows, one of the outside rows containing the last cylinder of one printing mechanism and the intermediate row containing adjacent to each other, the last cylinder of each of the other printing mechanisms, and guide-rollers interposed between the rows containing said last cylinders whereby the webs may be assembled between said rows and directed to the folding mechanism, substantially as described.

6. In combination,three web-printing mechanisms consisting of form and impression cylinders arranged in three parallel rows, one of the outside rows containing, in the middle, the two impression-cylinders of one printing mechanism and the intermediate row containing opposite said two impression-cylinders the two last cylinders of the other two printing mechanisms, substantially as described.

7. In combination, a rotary printing mechanism, a carrier whereon the page-web is received after being printed, mechanism wherebya sheet is cut transversely from said pageweb, mechanism whereby a wrapper-web is run onto said page-web while upon said carrier, mechanism whereby the wrapper-web is cut transversely so that the wrapper-sheet overhan gs the page-sheet at the end and mechanism whereby the page-sheet and wrappersheet are folded together, substantially as described.

8. In combination, a rotary printing mechanism, a carrier whereon the web is received after being printed, mechanism whereby the front end of a wrapper is laid onto the web while upon said carrier, mechanism whereby a sheet is cut transversely from said web while upon said carrier before the rear end of said wrapper is laid onto the same and mechanism whereby the sheet and the wrapper are folded together, substantially as described.

9. In combination, a rotary printing mechanism, a carrier whereon the web is received after being printed,.mechanism whereby the front end of a wrapper is laid onto said web while upon said carrier, mechanisms whereby sheets are cut from said web and said wrapper while their forward portions are together but their rear portions are separate and mechanism whereby the sheet and the wrapper are folded together, substantially as described.

10. In a perfecting-press, in combination, the driven shaft 46, a disk fast on the same, a pawl on said disk, a sleeve on said shaft, a ratchet-wheel iixed on the sleeve, the drum of the delivery mechanism fixed on said sleeve, a counter-shaft,means for driving said countershaft from said first-named shaft, and a member on said counter-shaft engaging intermittently with said drum to produce a variable motion thereof, substantially as described.

l1. In combination, arotaryprinting mechanism, a carrier whereon the web is received after being printed, mechanism whereby a wrapper extending toward the forward end of the web within half the length of a sheet is laid onto the web while upon said carrier, mechanism whereby a sheet is cut transversely from said web and mechanism whereby said sheet and said wrapper are twice transversely folded together whereby one end of the wrapper is caused to extend between the folds of the sheets,substantially as described.

l2. In combination, longitudinally-folding IOO IIO

mechanism, a carrier onto which the longitudinally-folded web passes, folding-rollers adjacent to the periphery of said carrier, a folding-blade mounted on said carrier so as to fold the paper transversely between said rollers, a transverse cutter mounted on said carrier and cutting against one of said foldingrollers and a gripper-carrier whereby the folded edge is gripped while still extending between said folding-rollers and onto said carrier and while still joined to the web, whereby the sheet is positively controlled, substantially as described.

13. In a rotary press containing aplurality of web-printing mechanisms, in combination, the final-impression cylinders as F, J and N arranged at the corners of a polygon whereby the points at which the webs leave their respective mechanisms are brought close together, guiding mechanism which conducts one or more of said webs through said polygon in associating it with the others and the cooperating form cylinders of said printing mechanisms located outside of said polygon, substantially as described.

14. In combination, a rotary carrier P, a folding-blade carried thereby, rollers through which the paper is folded by saidblade, a gripper-carrier receiving the paper from said foldin g-rollers and a delivery mechanism containing a series of supporting-rollers placed side by side and mechanism whereby said rollers are driven, and a carrier as 34 whereby the paper is directed on top of said rollers substantially as described.

15. In a perfecting-press, in combination with the form-cylinders whereby pages are printed on a web abreast, the longitudinal folder whereby the web is folded on the longitudinal margina rotary carrier, a holder on said carrier for holding the forward end of the web, a knife on said carrier for cutting the web transversely between succeeding pages, folding-rollers Q and 21 of smaller diameter than a carrier, the opening between which is substantially radial to the carrier and one of which folding-rollers is of a circumference divisible into the circumference of the carrier and carries the female member to co-operate with said knife a folding-blade on said carrier and mechanism whereby said blade is thrust between said rollers when said carrier has advanced substantially half the distance between said holder and said knife, substantially as described.

JOSEPH L. FIRM. Witnesses JAMES T. LAW, FRED S.'KEMPER. 

